How Much Do You Love Me?
by shattered-princ3ss
Summary: Set during Somebody to Love kinda. After Jackie's death,an angel steps in, giving Hyde 5 days to prove to Jackie that he loves her. Will he fix things before he loses her again? Slightly based on the movie Three Days.
1. Prologue: Regrets

A/N: so this is my first attempt at t7s fan fic. so bare with me.

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**Prologue**

He sprung up from his cot, trying to block the images from his mind. He had the dream again. Every night he woke up in a cold sweat, praying that he could go back in time. It was too late to fix things, and now she was gone. Sam was gone, too. He couldn't bring himself to even look at her after what happened. After what he did to her. Was it only 3 days ago she was here?

He would do anything to bring her back, to show her he loved her. To see her smile again. To touch her and hold her.

He restlessly rolled back, hoping to find peace in his sleep, but the images of that night could not be blocked. They played over and over in his mind, torturing him.

_"Hear that Hyde? We screwed her up so bad she's switching to chics! How awesome are we!" _

Kelso and Hyde high fived as Hyde asked, "How many guys can say that?"

_Jackie's eyes slowly filled up with tears as she quickly walked up the stairs. In the kitchen, she met up with Red, who was getting a beer out of the refridgerator. She didn't know that Hyde had followed her, wanting to fix things, to at least salvage some sort offriendship. When Red turned to her, Hyde hung back in the hallway, waiting for a chance to be alone with her._

_"Oh, crap. What's wrong wih you? Do you want me to get Kitty?" His defeated tone quickly turned into a look of concern, sensing the despearation coming out of the little girl in waves._

_She ran to Red, clinging to him. Her voice muffled by Red's shoulder and her own tears, butHyde still heard every word. "Oh, Mr. Forman, he never loved me at all, did he? I gave him everything, everything I had, and he never loved me, not even a little bit. When he said he didn't want to get married, he just meant he didn't want to marry me. What's wrong with me? Why doesn't he love me?"_

_"Is this about the stripper?" Red asked, pulling Jackie back so he could look at her face. "Steven's a dumbass. If he didn't love you, he didn't deserve you. I mean, sure, you're bossy and loud and annoying, but anyone could see that you adored him. One day, he'll see it, and he'll regret what he did. He'll hate himself."_

_"I, I don't want him to hate himself. Ijust want him to love me," Jackie said, in the smallest, most unsure voice Hyde had ever heard, and his heart broke._

_Red rubbed her back, trying to sooth her. "Why don't you take a break from here? Whenever I'm upset, I go fishing, just to get away for a while. Why don't you spend the night in a hotel or something?"_

_Red, feeling very uncomfortable, turned her to the sliding doors and walked into the living room. That's when Hyde decidedreveal himself, saying, "Jackie, can we talk?"_

_"I don't think that's a good idea."_

_At her refusal, Hyde's temper flared. "Well, I guess it would just be a waste of time anyways. I need to call my wife."_

_"What, is she busy getting naked for other guys?" she bit back. "I'm sure she's dying to hear from her husband."_

_"Atleast she can get a husband."_

_Jackie's breath caught as a sob erupted in her throat. "You were supposed to be different. You were supposed to love me." _

She ran through the sliding doors and started to cross the street, not paying attention to her destination or her surroundings. She just had to get away.Hyde came out just in time to see the car speeding down the corner. "Jackie!"

_And then his world fell apart._

After spending the night in jail for beating up the drunk driver, he went to the hospital only to find that his Jacks, who was once so perky and alive, was brain dead. She would never open her eyes again. He sent Sam away, telling her that he would send her divorce papers as soon as possible. He sat with her, holding her hand as the Formans searched for her family. Her mother called, telling the doctor to pull the plug.

For the first time in his life, Steven Hyde sobbed openly. His Jacks, his beautiful, beautiful girl died without the love of family and with a broken heart, never knowing how much he truly loved her. He would give anything to have her back. Anything for her to just _know._


	2. Chapter 1: Deals

A/N: ok so I hate adding original characters...it makes me nervous. But What do you think about Liz? I wanted an angel character that Hyde could relate to and that would be fun to write, and, well, she was what happened.

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**Chapter 1**

After a fitful sleep, Hyde woke up, except he wasn't on his cot. Hell, he wasn't even in the basement. Or Point Place for that matter. As his awareness returned, he realized that he was back in Las Vegas, and he wasn't alone. Sam was sleeping next to him.

"What the-"

"Shhh. Don't wake her up." A quiet voice called from the doorway.

Hyde turned to the doorway, noticing for the first time a beautiful, young girl. "Who are you? What's going on? Why am I here?"

"Calm down. Give me a second. This is my first time doing anything like this." Flustered, the girl ran a shaky hand through her short brown hair before continuing, "Ok, so, I'm Liz, and you're Steven."

"Don't call me that," Hyde said in a low tone, _she_ was the only girl who could call him that. And he would never hear her say it ever again.

"Oh, right. Jackie." The girl laughed uncomfortably. "I should've known."

"What do you know about Jackie?" His voice was deep with emotion. If she had anything to do with her death that night…

Hyde sat straight up, climbing out of bed to approach the teenager.

"Well, I know you were a jerk to her before she died," Liz said, crossing her arms.

"I just…" Hyde trailed off, his eyes glazing over. "I'm a jackass. I lost her. I, I,-"

"Maybe I should explain to you why I'm here," she said, touching his arm gently, hoping to stave off the onslaught of tears-she wasn't good with tears. She glanced at the bed. "I'm sure she won't be missing us. Let's go get a beer. I haven't had a good beer in decades."

"Decades?" Hyde was skeptical. "You're like what? 16? I think you've smoked some crazy shit."

"It's not polite to ask a girl her age," she said, and as an after thought added, "Dilhole."

She snapped her fingers, and they were immediately transported to a nearly deserted bar with a beer in front of each of them. Straightening her Led Zeppelin T-shirt, she said, "Sorry. Sometimes the trip can be a little rough for first timers."

"What did I _do_ last night?" Hyde asked, opening his beer. He wasn't one to turn down free beer, no matter what the circumstances. Plus, he was pretty sure had lost his mind, so he figured he might as well be drunk, too.

"Well, if you would just shut your pile hole for all of two seconds, you'll know what's going on." Liz grew very solemn. "In five days, Jackie will die. You have five days to prove to her you love her. If at any point in time you prevent her death from occurring, everything will go back as it was, and Jackie will die, thinking you never loved her. That horrible night that you can't stop thinking about will be her last memory."

"She's, Jackie's alive?" Hyde asked, holding on to the bit of hope that this was real.

"Hello?" she asked, hitting his head. "Is anybody listening in there? I'm giving you the opportunity of a lifetime here. Not many people get this chance."

"Why me?" he asked softly, slamming the rest of his beer. "I don't deserve it."

"You're right. You don't, but Jackie does," Liz said firmly. "Do you understand what you're doing? You're going to have to watch her die again. Can you handle that?"

"But, she'll know I love her right?"

"If you can prove it to her."

"Ok, I'll do it."

Liz clapped her hands. "Ok, good. Now I know I'm not supposed to help you any more, but…" She shrugged, straightened the wrinkles out of her short, tight, black skirt, saying, "Close your eyes."

Hyde promptly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was back in the basement, and Liz was no where to be seen. He did however hear her voice. "Five days, Hyde, that's all you get."

"Where's Jackie?" Hyde called out, glancing around. "Isn't she still in Chicago?"

"Jesus Christ!" Liz appeared, exasperated. "Do I have to do everything?"

With a deep sigh, she scrunched her face up, deep in concentration. "Ok, she's having the sudden urge to drive back right now, instead of in a day or two."

"Why can't you just zap her here, or whatever it was that you just did to us?"

"Because Jackie would freak out, and as much as I love her and want to help. I _really_ don't want to hear that voice. Don't worry she'll be here in a couple hours."

"Thanks, man."

"Man? I have no idea why we're wasting a miracle on you. You're hopeless. I have no idea what Jackie sees in you," Liz complained disappearing once again. "Don't screw this up. I'll be watching you."

"That's what angels are like?"

"Only the cool ones…" Her voice drifted, as if from far away. "Good night."

Hyde flopped down on his cot. A smile on his face for the first time since he returned from Chicago. He had five days with his girl. His smile faded briefly as his eyes clenched shut, thinking of losing her again.

With grim determination, he opened his eyes again. These next five days were going to be the best five days of Jackie's life. And her last.


	3. Chapter 2: Anticipation

A/N: sorry for the wait. i had a family emergency. enjoy

**Chapter 2: Anticipation**

Hyde woke up the next morning with a smile on his face. Jackie would be here soon, and, since he didn't marry Sam, she would have no reason to be upset with him. Sure, he left her in Chicago and had been unwilling to commit, but, compared to what had happened the first time around, convincing Jackie of his love for her should be a freaking cake walk.

At least he hoped it would be. This time he would not flip out about Kelso. Jackie would come in and apologize, and he would forgive her. In the grand scheme of things, his petty jealousy of Jackie's history with Kelso didn't matter at all.

He just wanted to do everything right this time, and he was determined to give Jackie the goodbye she deserved. His eyes clinched shut, and he rubbed his temple-his head already pounding at the thought of losing her again.

Mustering as much resolve as he possibly could, he got out of bed and got ready for the day. He made a promise to himself to not dwell on Jackie's death before it happened. He refused to waste these last days on grieving. He would have all the time in the world to do so afterwards.

Not knowing where to look for her, he finally decided to wait in the basement. Although he hated waiting, especially with the clock ticking like this, he knew that the basement was the closest thing to a "home" that Jackie had ever had.

Eventually she would be drawn to this room, just like all the rest of his friends were. No matter what was going on in their lives, they had always found their way back here. He prayed that Jackie would, too.

He absent mindedly turned on the TV before sitting down. Try as he might, there was no way in hell he could focus on the latest episode of Scooby Doo. With a frustrated sigh, he stood up and turned it off, before plopping back into his chair. His eyes shifted to the door, willing it to open.

Apparently he had some sort of telekinetic powers that he didn't know about because seconds later Donna came rushing into the basement. Maybe he should've been more focused on willing Jackie in his lap than how she got there.

"Hey Dilhole," Donna spat out the words as she sat down on the couch, crossing her arms over her chest, a scowl present on her face.

"Hey…Have you seen Jackie at all today?" he asked, feigning disinterested and failing at it miserably.

"As a matter of fact, she came over late last night, crying her eyes out about you. Dumbass."

With a huff, Donna flipped on the TV and sent another glare Hyde's way once she sat down again. She wasn't going to make this easy on him. If Hyde wanted to know anything about Jackie, he would have to work for it.

"Well, do you know where she is _now_?" he asked, stressing the words as his annoyance grew.

"She's at my house sleeping. Sobbing your heart out can be _so_ exhausting." Venom dripped off each word.

"I know," he replied softly, thinking back to the past few nights. He cried so much and so hard that Mrs. Foreman had given him a shot to sedate him.

Donna's eyes widened at the implication his words brought. "What do you know about it?"

With a deep sigh, Hyde stood up. "Look, Donna, I don't have time for this. I'm going to go see Jackie."

"Don't break her heart," Donna said firmly, not moving from her petulant position on the couch.

Hyde gave her a brief nod of recognition as he opened the door and stepped outside.

"And don't do it on my bed!" she called out before he could close the door.

The short walk to the Pinciotti residence wasn't short enough for Hyde. He opened the front door without bothering to knock and raced through the house. Just outside of Donna's room, however, he hesitated, trying to prepare himself. He ran his hand through his hair and took off his sunglasses, clipping them to the front of his shirt, before opening the door.

A/N: Jackie is actually _in_ the next chapter! I'm so excited.


	4. Chapter 3 Thoughts

**A/N** Sorry for the wait. I haven't forgotten about this fic or anything. School just started, so I've been kind of busy, moving into my dorm and figuring out classes and stuff. It should calm down soon, so I'll be free to update a lot more. enjoy

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**Chapter 3: Thoughts**

What was she doing? Why was she coming back? Steven obviously didn't trust her. If he didn't trust her, how could he love her?

Ever since Hyde stormed out of the hotel room, Jackie had been sitting in the dark, crying her beautiful eyes out, not knowing where to go or what to do. For some reason, however, at two in the morning she had this indescribable urge to return to Point Place.

Desperate to ignore the nagging voice in her head, Jackie had tried to go to sleep, hoping things would look better in the morning. But, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get her mind off Steven Hyde, and the horrible turn their relationship had taken.

They used to be so happy. So fun. But how long can you just stay in one place? Jackie had wanted their relationship to grow and change, just like each of them had grown and changed throughout the course of being together.

She thought they could still be happy, have fun, _and_ have a serious relationship. Marriage. Kids. The whole sha-bang. But Steven didn't want that.

Jackie refused to acknowledge that any of this was her fault. Sure, she had made mistakes, but she had never _given up_. She was always apologizing, always opening her heart to Steven, but he just _wouldn't_ give her what she wanted. What she _needed_.

She needed him to trust her. To love her. To love only her and at least _want_ to spend the rest of his life with her. She needed him to _know_. She knew that he could do all of these things, that he could be the man she needed, but for some reason he just _wouldn't_.

_I don't know._

Jackie was _not_ going to be the one to come crawling back to him this time. The old Jackie, the one before Steven, before the nurse, would have, but not now. Not after everything that had happened. So why was she headed back to Point Place?

Well, just in case, Steven was planning on manning up and growing a pair. Just in case, Steven was willing to apologize. Maybe he would finally buy her something really shiny.

Not that Jackie was shallow. Oh, no, in the time she was with Steven, she had developed a lot more depth, or at least she felt free to express the depth she already had, but what girl didn't like shiny things? Even, lumberjacks like Donna had to appreciate the appeal of all things shiny. Oh and pink. And definitely pretty.

With a deep sigh, Jackie approached a crossroads. Donna's or the basement. Looking at both options, she finally decided that a good cry with her best friend was her best choice. She'd deal with Steven tomorrow. Or the next day.

Maybe she should finally realize that Steven wasn't _that_ guy. He never would be. He wouldn't buy her things, he was honest to the point of cruelty, and he would never back down. In the beginning, that was a huge part of his appeal. She thought that meant he would never try to buy her love, cheat on her, or give up on them.

But really it meant that when he cheated on her, he would be honest about it, and when she really needed him to give her something that went against his nature, he wouldn't do it. She had to admire that.

That was the main reason she refused to back down on this marriage issue. A small part of her still idolized him, still wanted to make him proud. Shouldn't he be proud that she was sticking to her guns about something that mattered so much to her?

Instead, he was angry that she didn't want the same things he did. As she knocked on Donna's door and collapsed into her arms, sobbing, she started to wonder if maybe this was really the end for them.

Maybe his apologizes wouldn't be enough. Maybe he would never love her like she loved him.

And if there's one thing she learned from Steven, it was to never risk getting hurt, never show your emotions. But what if she was in too deep? Then again, how could she possibly hurt more than this? What was she doing?

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**A/N **some jh interaction in the next chapter! Finally!


	5. Chapter 4: Sight

A/N Sorry about the wait. hope you enjoy. chapter 5 will be up in the next couple weeks. hopefully sooner if I can get the time away to write. and please, _please _leave a review. I've never done a t7s fic or anything in the supernatural realm before, so I'm really needing some feedback.

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Chapter 4: Sight**

Out of all the ways Hyde had imagined their reunion to go, he had not expected this. Not at all. Although he would never say it to her face, his Jackie looked like hell reheated (which is so much worse the regular hell). She was sleeping on her cot, her hair a tangled mess, makeup was smudged all over her face, and dark circles had taken residence under her eyes.

Gingerly, he sat down on the edge of the cot, taking in the sight of her. Even when she looked like hell (reheated), she still looked like a goddess, and he wanted to kick his own ass for bringing her to this. He was so amazed at how much she was affected by him. He couldn't understand anyone, let alone her, caring this much about him.

Gently he attempted to shake her awake, but she seemed to be having some sort of nightmare. She was clearly distressed and kept turning away from him and kicking out, becoming a tangled mess of sheets, pillows, hair, and night gown. A very short night gown. Oh, how he'd love to just rip that off her and…

"No, Steven, don't!" she screamed out in a panic before sitting straight up, panting heavily, and trying hastily to get the hair off her face.

With wild, frightened, doe eyes, she turned to him, confusion clouding her delicate features. Quickly her memory returned and she scrambled as far away from him as she could get on the small cot, untangling the sheet and allowing her night gown to ride up even more in the process. She patted down her hair and rubbed her eyes, trying in vain to look somewhat presentable. Hyde's gaze was drawn to the now more exposed thigh until she spoke.

"Wha-?" she started with a hoarse voice. Clearing her throat she continued, "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you," he replied softly, slowly scooting toward her.

"Well, it's a little late for that!" She shouted as she stood up in a huff. "I wanted to talk in Chicago, Steven! But where did you go? Oh, that's right! You _left_!"

"You left first!" He shouted right back, also standing.

"Oh, just frigging grow up already!" she exclaimed, looking for something to put on, so she didn't have to look at him.

"Do you have _any_ idea how much that hurt me, Jacks?" his voice soft and filled with pain.

"Do you have any idea how much you _always_ hurt me?" she countered, turning back to him with fire in her eyes. "Do you know how much it hurts to love someone so much, who never loved you back?"

The tears pooling in her eyes made them sparkle like gems, and Hyde immediately sprung into action. He darted over to her, taking the jeans out of her hands and wrapping his arms firmly around her waist. She stood stiff and unmoving in his arms, tears silently trailing down her cheeks.

His head sought out the crook in her neck, buried itself in her hair, and inhaled deep. His hair quickly grew wet from her tears, but it was soon forgotten. He kissed every bit of available skin as his hands ran all over her back. He couldn't believe he was holding her. He never thought he would get the chance to do so again.

In between kisses he mumbled, "I love you. I do. I always have. I love you so much, and I am so sorry for everything I've ever done to hurt you."

She softened, wrapping her arms around him. When she began to return his kisses, tears sprang out of his eyes, thinking of how he was going to lose her.

"I'm so sorry," he said, grabbing her face and forcing her to look into his eyes.

"I'm sorry I didn't trust you." He kissed her desperately, as if it was the last time. "I'm sorry about every hurtful thing I've ever said or done."

She tried to silence him with a kiss, but he pulled away saying, "I _need_ you to know this. I need you to know how sorry I am about the nurse and Raquel, and about leaving. I'm sorry for not telling you how I felt, and I'm so so sorry about Sam. I never meant to-"

Jackie pulled away as quickly as possible and screeched out, "Who the hell is Sam?"

Crap.


	6. Chapter 5: Explanations

A/N: Yay an update! Uh, this story has a life of its own and has started straying from it's originally intended path, so hopefully everything will make sense and work out with all the changes i've made and it will all come together in the end. I hope you enjoy and please please review. i'm such a newb at this that I need all the encouragement/advice/whatever I can get.

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**Chapter 5: Explanations**

Jackie pulled away as quickly as possible and screeched out, "Who the hell is Sam?"

Crap. 'I'm royally screwed,' Hyde thought to himself as he watched the hurt and shock play across Jackie's face. He had been so focused on seeing her again, all the things that he had wanted to say to her ever since she died just spilled out without thought. Had he been thinking, he would never have mentioned a girl Jackie didn't even know existed in this reality.

Unfortunately, Hyde wasn't much of a thinker. "Baby, I drank a lot in Vegas," he said by way of explanation.

"Vegas? You went to Vegas and met a girl named Sam?" Jackie's eyes widened briefly as a thought reached her frazzled brain. "Please tell me it was a girl, Steven. Because if you have a thing for guys now…"

"Don't worry, sweetie. It was a girl," Hyde quickly reassured.

"Okay. Good." Jackie paused for a minute. "Wait, not good. There shouldn't have been _anyone_, Steven."

"Baby," he sighed deeply. "You have to understand-"

"No, no! I do not _have_ to understand! This is all your fault, Steven!" Jackie shouted, frantically searching for clothes. Suddenly she felt entirely too exposed in her nightgown.

"My fault! _You_ left _me_, Jackie!" He grabbed her by her arms, forcing her to look at him. "Then I follow you to Chicago and find Kelso in a towel! This is all your fault!"

"How many times do I have to tell you? Nothing happened with Michael!"

She pulled away, grabbed some clothes and quickly changed, Hyde staring at her hungrily all the while. She silently fumed, panting heavily. When she looked up, she noticed the lust in his eyes, and for a moment, she just wanted to fall into his arms and let his touch make her feel better.

Hyde seemed like he was willing to do the same, but then he sighed deeply and ran his fingers through his hair. "Jackie, look, I'm sorry. I was really drunk and hurt, and I wasn't thinking. It didn't mean anything, baby."

"Do you know how many times I've heard that? You told me that after the damn nurse!"

"I saw you with Kelso! I thought we were over!"

"That's what happened the last time, too!" Tears streamed down her cheeks. "When are you going to learn to trust me?"

Hyde quickly came to her and wrapped his arms around her. She folded into him. Funny how even when he was the one to hurt her, her first instinct was to let him comfort her.

"Baby," he whispered into her hair, "I want to trust you. I do. I'm going to try so hard to trust you, a-and to earn your trust in return. Just give me another chance, doll face."

With a wavering sigh, Jackie slowly pulled away from him. "I don't know if I can do that."

Jackie turned around for a minute and closed her eyes, trying to compose herself. "What happened?"

"What?"

"What happened?" she asked again, her voice grim with determination, as she turned around to face him.

"Uh." Hyde ran a shaky hand through his hair as he sat down on the cot. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"I think I deserve to know," Jackie replied as she sat down as well.

"Well, after, what happened, in Chicago, with Kelso, I, uh, didn't know what to do," Hyde began, his eyes taking on a distant quality as he relived that night in the hotel. A stabbing pain resounded in his gut as he continued, "So I just started driving. Somehow I ended up in Vegas."

"Isn't that where people go when they have nothing left?" He asked with a shrug. "After gambling for a bit, I went to a strip club and started drinking. And that's when I saw her."

"A stripper? She was a stripper?" Jackie screeched.

Hyde continued as if he hadn't heard her. "She was nothing like you. The complete opposite, in fact. Tall, blonde, rough around the edges."

"Of course she was the opposite of me. She was a _stripper_, Steven!" she interrupted again.

Hyde chuckled softly to himself. "And I thought to myself, this is what I needed. This is what would help dull the pain of losing you. We never made sense. Hyde and Jackie? It was so wrong and unnatural. Jackie deserves something special, and I, I deserve a stripper."

"Was she prettier than me?" Jackie asked quietly, so insecure and unsure.

"God, no." Hyde let his eyes refocus on her then. "Baby, she was nothing. She meant nothing. I thought about you the entire time. Compared everything she did to how you would do it, and how you did it better."

"Well, it's great that I'm sluttier than a stripper!" Jackie shouted before standing up, although the smirk on her face led Hyde to believe she was secretly happy about it.

"That's not what I meant. I just meant…" he paused to recollect his thoughts, standing up and pulling her to him. He grabbed her face and held her so close that their foreheads were touching. "I meant you and I are perfect for each other. We fit, and nothing anyone can do will ever even come close to that. I love you, baby."

Jackie's hands reached up to his, caressing them to her face, briefly savoring their warmth, before she pulled them away from her.

Their hands still clasped in front of them, foreheads still touching, she began to speak softly, "I love you, too. So much that sometimes I think I'll die if you aren't with me. You're here-" she moved both of their clasped hands to her chest. "In my heart, and no matter how much I want to sometimes, I can't get you out. I want to work this out with you, but it's going to take time. We need to go slow."

She pulled away from him, looking him dead in the eye. "Can you do that for me? Can we go slow, so we can learn to trust each other again? Are you willing to put in that kind of time and effort?"

Hyde smiled and leaned in to kiss her, slowly and sweetly. "For you, doll? I have all the time in the world."

She smiled and hugged him. She was so busy hugging him; she didn't see the torment written across his face as he thought, _All the time in the world? Or just 5 short days until I lose you forever…_

Hyde was so busy in his own anguish; he didn't see her smile quickly turn into a pout, pain evident in her features as she thought, _All the time in the world? Or just until the next fallout. First a nurse, then a stripper. Who will Steven turn to next? Why doesn't he love me like I love him? He is the only person I've ever turned to. _

They both pulled away from the hug with forced smiles and fell back onto the cot, hoping to find some sort of temporary comfort in each other's arms.


End file.
